USCareCheck

CMS certification 330241

University Hospital S U N Y Health Science Center

750 East Adams Street, Syracuse, NY 13210

Acute Care Hospitals Emergency services Birthing-friendly

University Hospital S U N Y Health Science Center has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. 73% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 26 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 3 and worse on 4. Emergency patients spend a median of 4 h 51 min in its emergency department before leaving (US median 2 h 42 min).

Every figure on this page is published by CMS; we arrange and explain it, and score nothing ourselves.

CMS overall rating 3/5 CMS summary of quality measures
Would definitely recommend 73% US average 71%
Patient survey rating 3/5 544 completed surveys
Compared with the nation 4 worse 3 better of 26 measures CMS could compare

What patients said

Answers from patients who stayed here, collected by CMS in the national HCAHPS survey: 544 completed surveys, 23% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.

Would definitely recommend the hospital
73%
NY 67% · US 71% · 4 of 5 stars
Rated the hospital 9 or 10 out of 10
68%
NY 66% · US 72% · 3 of 5 stars
Nurses always communicated well
78%
NY 77% · US 80% · 3 of 5 stars
Doctors always communicated well
75%
NY 77% · US 80% · 3 of 5 stars
Staff always explained new medicines
60%
NY 59% · US 62% · 2 of 5 stars
Given information about recovering at home
87%
NY 85% · US 86% · 4 of 5 stars
Room was always clean
64%
NY 69% · US 74% · 3 of 5 stars
Always quiet at night
42%
NY 49% · US 60% · 2 of 5 stars

This hospital New York average US average

Emergency department

How long emergency patients spent here and how some time-critical care went, from CMS's timely and effective care measures, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025. CMS classes this emergency department's patient volume as very high; busier departments tend to have longer times, so the national median for departments of the same volume is shown too. These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.

Measure This hospital NY US
Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 385 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 21 min 4 h 51 min 3 h 14 min 2 h 42 min
Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 18 visits sampled 4 h 29 min 4 h 54 min 4 h 17 min
Left before being seen Lower is better · 119,889 patients 9% 2% 2%
Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 129 patients 55% 60% 65%

How University Hospital S U N Y Health Science Center compares with nearby hospitals

The closest hospitals of the same kind that CMS rates or surveys - the same city first, then the same county and ZIP area. Every figure is CMS's: the overall star rating, the share of patients who would definitely recommend the hospital, the median time emergency patients spent before leaving, and how many death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS found better or worse than the national rate.

Hospital CMS stars Would recommend ER median time Vs the nation
University Hospital S U N Y Health Science CenterThis hospital3/573%4 h 51 min3 better 4 worse
Crouse HospitalSame city2/569%3 h 40 min4 better 3 worse
Syracuse VA Medical CenterSame city3/580%—2 worse
St Joseph's Hospital Health CenterSame city2/574%3 h 46 min2 better 4 worse

Hospitals differ in size and in how sick their patients are. CMS adjusts its outcome measures for that, but a star or a percentage is a starting point for questions, not a verdict. All hospitals in Syracuse.

Deaths

How many patients died within 30 days of admission, adjusted by CMS for how sick they were. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2022 – Jun 2025.

Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
All patients, hospital-wide 5,385 cases Too few cases 2.7% 3.9%
Heart attack 130 cases Too few cases 12.8% 11.9%
Heart failure 360 cases Too few cases 10.7% 11.1%
Pneumonia 416 cases Too few cases 12.2% 15.2%
Stroke 600 cases Too few cases 10.2% 11.9%
COPD 151 cases Too few cases 9.2% 8.6%
Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 58 cases Too few cases 1.7% 2.4%

Complications

How often patients had serious complications, most of them after surgery, adjusted for how sick they were. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2022 – Jun 2024.

2 worse than the nation 10 no different
Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
Serious complications, combined measure Worse 1.48 likely 1.23 – 1.74 1
After hip or knee replacement 347 cases Too few cases 3.5% 4.1%
Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 165 cases No different 180.85 per 1,000 likely 141.84 per 1,000 – 219.86 per 1,000 173.3 per 1,000
Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 9,158 cases Worse 1.86 per 1,000 likely 1.34 per 1,000 – 2.37 per 1,000 0.63 per 1,000
Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 10,421 cases No different 0.31 per 1,000 likely 0.12 per 1,000 – 0.5 per 1,000 0.21 per 1,000
Broken bones from falls in the hospital 10,375 cases No different 0.35 per 1,000 likely 0.17 per 1,000 – 0.53 per 1,000 0.27 per 1,000
Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 2,603 cases No different 2.81 per 1,000 likely 1.56 per 1,000 – 4.07 per 1,000 2.34 per 1,000
Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 1,197 cases No different 2.43 per 1,000 likely 1 per 1,000 – 3.85 per 1,000 1.67 per 1,000
Breathing failure after surgery 1,122 cases No different 9.99 per 1,000 likely 4.66 per 1,000 – 15.33 per 1,000 9.42 per 1,000
Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 2,773 cases No different 2.87 per 1,000 likely 1.2 per 1,000 – 4.55 per 1,000 3.52 per 1,000
Sepsis after surgery 1,186 cases No different 7.37 per 1,000 likely 4.4 per 1,000 – 10.34 per 1,000 5.27 per 1,000
Surgical wound splitting open 630 cases No different 1.41 per 1,000 likely 0.04 per 1,000 – 2.78 per 1,000 1.77 per 1,000
Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 2,107 cases No different 1.18 per 1,000 likely 0.33 per 1,000 – 2.03 per 1,000 1.06 per 1,000

Infections caught in the hospital

Standardized infection ratio: 1.0 means as many infections as CMS predicted for a hospital like this one. Lower is better. Data from Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.

1 worse than the nation 2 better than the nation 2 no different
Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
Bloodstream infections from central lines (CLABSI) Better 0.47 likely 0.3 – 0.7 1
Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) No different 0.84 likely 0.62 – 1.12 1
Surgical site infections after colon surgery Worse 1.94 likely 1.23 – 2.92 1
MRSA bloodstream infections No different 0.71 likely 0.39 – 1.21 1
C. diff intestinal infections Better 0.66 likely 0.5 – 0.86 1

1 more measure had too few cases here to report.

Readmissions and return visits

How often patients had to come back to a hospital after going home. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2023 – Jun 2025.

1 worse than the nation 3 no different
Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
Readmitted after a heart attack 242 cases Too few cases 13.3% 14.4%
Readmitted after heart failure 699 cases Too few cases 22.5% 21.3%
Readmitted after pneumonia 672 cases Too few cases 17% 17.3%
Readmitted after COPD 415 cases Too few cases 20.3% 20%
Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 111 cases Too few cases 10.3% 11%
Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 342 cases Too few cases 4.4% 5.8%
Days back in hospital after a heart attack 122 cases Too few cases -10.7 days per 100 —
Days back in hospital after heart failure 397 cases Too few cases 40.4 days per 100 —
Days back in hospital after pneumonia 428 cases Too few cases 19.7 days per 100 —
Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 209 cases No different 14 per 1,000 likely 10.5 per 1,000 – 19 per 1,000 13 per 1,000
Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 597 cases Worse 15.1 per 100 likely 12.8 per 100 – 17.7 per 100 10.7 per 100
ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 597 cases No different 5.2 per 100 likely 4 per 100 – 6.7 per 100 5.4 per 100
Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 598 cases No different 1 likely 0.7 – 1.2 —

1 more measure had too few cases here to report.

Clinicians registered at this address

1,372 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 908 residents and trainees. The same address can take in offices and clinics in the building, and a listing does not prove admitting privileges or current employment.

Specialty Clinicians
Emergency Medicine 113
Family 104
Occupational Therapist 86
Physical Therapist 75
Physician Assistant 65
Anesthesiology 63
Hospitalist 62
Internal Medicine 47
Pediatrics 45
Nurse Practitioner 40
Pharmacist 36
Psychiatry 34

First 12 alphabetically

Money from drug and device companies

Drug and device makers have to report what they pay teaching hospitals to CMS's Open Payments program. At many teaching hospitals most of it is research funding, or royalties for inventions the hospital licensed to a company. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.

2025 total $39,675 general $39,291 · research $384
All years, 2019–2025 $1.1M 318 reported payments
Studies funded, 2025 1 12 companies paid in total
  • 2019 $279,633
  • 2020 $404,635
  • 2021 $320,609
  • 2022 $48,828
  • 2023 $23,954
  • 2024 $20,927
  • 2025 $39,675

General payments Research payments

What the 2025 general payments were for

Type of payment Amount Payments
Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan $13,932 1
Debt forgiveness $9,080 8
Grants $8,250 2
Space rental and facility fees $5,099 3
Consulting fees $2,655 3
Speaking, teaching and other services $275 1

Largest paying companies, 2025

Company Amount Payments
Stryker Corporation $22,217 4
Medical Device Business Services, Inc. $6,250 1
Recordati_rare_diseases_inc. $2,655 3
KLS-Martin L.P. $2,293 1
Corium, LLC $2,000 1
Fisher Scientific Company L.L.C. $1,848 2
Abbott Laboratories $650 2
Biotronik INC. $500 1

Largest research studies funded here, 2025

Study Amount
A PHASE 23 INTERVENTIONAL SAFETY PHARMACOKINETICS AND EFFICACY OPENLABEL MULTICENTER SINGLEARM STUDY TO INVESTIGATE ORALLY ADMINISTERED PF07321332 NI… PFIZER INC. $384

Amounts are as the paying companies reported them to CMS; Open Payments data retrieved 13 Sep 2026. Full record on CMS Open Payments.

How to read this page

  • Everything here is published by CMS on Care Compare. We arrange it and explain it; the star ratings and the better / worse verdicts are CMS's, not ours.
  • “No different” is the most common result on most measures at most hospitals. CMS only calls a result better or worse when the difference from the national rate is statistically clear.
  • Death, complication and readmission rates are adjusted by CMS for how sick patients were, so hospitals that treat sicker patients can be compared fairly.
  • Infection results are ratios: 1.0 means as many infections as CMS predicted for a hospital like this one, below 1.0 is fewer.
  • These are hospital-wide results. They do not rate an individual doctor, nurse or department, and they are not medical advice.

CMS Care Compare data retrieved 4 Oct 2026, refreshed weekly. Where this data comes from and how we handle it · Report an error

Common questions about University Hospital S U N Y Health Science Center

Is University Hospital S U N Y Health Science Center a good hospital?

University Hospital S U N Y Health Science Center has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. Of the 26 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 3 and worse on 4. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.

Would patients recommend University Hospital S U N Y Health Science Center?

73% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 544 completed HCAHPS surveys.

How long is the wait in the University Hospital S U N Y Health Science Center emergency room?

Emergency patients spend a median of 4 h 51 min in its emergency department before leaving (US median 2 h 42 min). Among US emergency departments with very high patient volume, like this one, the median is 3 h 21 min. 9% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.

Does University Hospital S U N Y Health Science Center receive money from drug and device companies?

Drug and device makers reported $39,675 in payments to University Hospital S U N Y Health Science Center for 2025, under the federal Open Payments program. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.